Portuguese abroad

I may have mentioned that being among the foreigners here you usually learn some few sentences in many languages... and teach some things in your own language.

And people always learn bad things very quickly.

Although Portuguese may not be so popular here as Chinese, English, German, Korean, Spanish, Italian or French, sometimes I listen to some people saying one sentence or two they know in Portuguese.

The range goes from a simple "obrigado(a)" ("thank you") to some soccer-related words ("goleiro" - goalkeeper or "elastico" - rubberband). Sometimes sentences like "eu te amo" ("I love you"... yes, it was a little strange listening to that one. And, no, the person didn't really mean it... fortunately) or "eu não falo português" ("I don't speak Portuguese").

(I'm obviously excluding people who can speak Portuguese from these examples)

There are also some names of stores or places with strange names in Portuguese (sometimes not only Portuguese, though). Quick examples would be the depertment store in front of Kyoto station named "Porta" ("Door") and one at Himeji station called "Caspa" ("Dandruff"). Or perhaps a cafe named "Tanto Kuwanto" ("Tanto Quanto" - "As much as"). I'm sure I've seen even better examples, but can't remember them.

Now to the part "learn bad things quickly"...

Among the expressions I hear in Portuguese, some of them are actually swearing. I've heard people coming saying things like "c**alho" ("s**t"), "p**a que p**iu" ("holy s**t") or "va tomar no c*" ("shove it in your a**"). The translations may not be accurate, since it's not actually easy to translate those. Not only that, people learn to recognize those expressions really quicky.

Another thing is when a French came to tell me he could sing a Brazilian song. That's usually either Bossa Nova, samba or forro, so I asked what was that song...

"Namorar Pelado"...

Not only that, he KNOWS the meaning of the lyrics... I'm not teaching that. Don't even like that genre...

Nevertheless, the most amazing "WTF situation" was during a birthday dinner, when a Japanese guy came out of nowhere saying:

"Tu é muito boa."

WTF!?!? I was floored by this one like I haven't been in a while...

Of course, he didn't really mean it, but two things we (me and another Brazilian who was talking to me at the time) had to teach him fast:

1- NEVER EVER say that to a man.

2- Even girls may not find this nice.

For those wondering about the translation, it would be something like "You're beautiful" or "You're sexy"... but with a very strong sexual connotation. Although there is also another "inofensive" meaning for this sentence ("You're very good") we concluded that he surely had the previous meaning in mind.

Since we wondered where he heard that one, he said that a Brazilian girl taught him, so he could say it to her.

I can't stop wondering what kind of person was that...

Crime differences

I often hear friends in Brazil mentioning about how safe it is in Japan. I may agree that you feel safer. And overall it is safer, especially when you talk about numbers. But it's a different feeling. In Brazil you avoid showing possessions or going around certain neighborhoods because that's almost the same than asking for trouble. So, following some "guidelines" it's possible to protect oneself... even if it is only a little bit.

In Japan, that worry with possesions is usually not so strong, so you may walk at night listening to your iPod or withdraw money from the bank without having to look carefully at every corner and beyond...

What about when violence is totally random? That's what happened last 8th in Akihabara, Tokyo.

From The Japan Times:

Seven people died and 10 others were injured after a man hit pedestrians with a truck and then stabbed passersby Sunday in broad daylight on a street in Tokyo's busy Akihabara district.

Police arrested the man, Tomohiro Kato from Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the street and seized a survival knife he was carrying. The 25-year-old temp staffer at an auto component factory in the prefecture admitted to stabbing people with the knife, which had a 13-cm blade, from around 12:30 p.m., the police said.

"I came to Akihabara to kill people," investigative sources quoted Kato as telling the police. "I am tired of the world. Anyone was OK. I came alone."

(...)

The Akihabara area was crowded with shoppers as Chuo-dori was vehicle-free for pedestrians. The scene was near the intersection of Chuo-dori and Kanda Myojin-dori streets, only a stone's throw from JR Akihabara Station.

A 19-year-old man from Tokyo's Ota Ward said, "The man (Kato) jumped on top of a man he had hit with his vehicle and stabbed him with a knife many times. Walking toward Akihabara Station, he slashed nearby people at random."

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The Japan Times article shows links to other recent cases. The interesting thing here is that most follow a pattern: people discontent with their position in society that go on a killing rampage with a knife. No wonder people are forbidden to walk with knifes here (even a Swiss army knife or scissors). I'm serious! To carry such things around, they must be in a place where it can't be promptly withdrawn. Like inside a backpack, for example.

That's an interesting thing about violence in Japan: people who are assaulted are usually close friends (or even from the same family) with the agressor... or are picked completely at random! How to protect oneself against these? There were cases even where I live, where a student bumped into one of those "potential madmen" and was stabbed... just for that!

You know, one thing I've been thinking, major violent events in Brazil and in Japan may be consequence of social conditions. Social difference in Brazil, social pressure in Japan...

Other thing, maybe those killing sprees are ways for those people get others' attention. In that case, we may be giving them exactly what they want... and risking motivating other potential "killers". Still, in this case, omission may not be the solution. I'd be like blaming video-games for the violence. The origin of the problem is something different...

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Added on June 12th

Some discussions about this problem showed a different light. Some say that it's because some crimes common in Brazil are low in Japan, so that we don't notice our own random mass killings. Most countries have their cases, from the US to Brazil (English).

I still think numbers in Brazil don't live up to numbers in Japan regarding that kind of crime... Apart from that, I admit there have been quite a number of killings in the US too.

I've heard some possible causes for that difference, but none seems really convincing...

Trinity

For some years, I've been trying to balance my life practicing at least one thing in each of three spheres: study, sport and art. Recently a friend also reminded me of social, but even when I wasn't much sociable in Brazil (what would be from mid-junior high to mid-high school) I still had some sort of social life, so I never considered actively "looking" for it.

But then considering average social life in Japan, I can understand why that's something to be reminded of. Not for foreign students anyway... My social life is fine so far. In part because I already had friends in Himeji too and need just some events with close friends to be satisfied. (Yes, I'm a low-key person, so what?)

Aham, back to the subject, one of my problems in Japan is that I haven't been able to keep that balance since I came. I've been trying to restore it, and it led to some interesting situations.

First study. That's the field I've had less problems. There's always something to study: Japanese, engineering stuff (and it demands some extra effort since I'm changing my field and parts of it are in Japanese), other languages (usually expressions taught by other international students)...

Sport is the one I regret the most not being able to do. My body surely feels the effects of the lack of exercise already. Don't have the same resistence and flexibility than before, for example... I try to walk and cycle around, but it's not enough.

I tried joining the universitiy's aikido circle after an excellent experience in Himeji. But I wasn't so successful this time. Practice time and location didn't help. I'd also like to practice futsal, but they don't usually do that indoors here. Besides, in some cases it's soccer, not futsal. For a goalkeeper, it's a huge difference.

Then a friend invited me to check the place where he practices tae-kwon-do. The atmosphere reminded me more of the dojo I used to practice judo in Brazil: a master present, people with different ages and backgrounds (not only university students)... Things I just noticed I've missed in the circle. Body hurts after practicing, but I'm thinking if it's not worth a try. Even as an experience of a "clashing" martial art (judo and aikido involve more projection techniques). I just can't ignore the irony that after practicing Japanese martial arts during a good part of my life, I came to Japan and may start learning a Korean martial art...

As for the art part, recently I'm considering resuming violin lessons. I've had some three months of classes before coming to Japan and I like it. the problem is finding someone who can teach when I'm available... and for a reasonable price.

Another possibility came from an unexpected source. I had ballroom classes in Brazil for some time. Although I'm far from being good, I can teach the basics to someone else (only where Brazilian rhythms are concerned. I know a little of other things, like waltz, bolero or salsa, however my confidence level is lower). Still, other than dance a little when Brazilians gather (like the Gifu BBQ for example), I didn't think I'd have any possibility of using this ability in Japan... until I saw a post in Marilia's blog mentioning she found a place to dance samba gafieira in Tokyo. Too bad it's in Tokyo...

However, some foreigner friends in Kyoto mentioned they have interest in learning... although their interest lays more in salsa, since there's a place where we can dance salsa. Still, I showed some gafieira and forro and they seem to like it. Let's see how it turns out. My former dance teacher would be very happy to hear that I managed to teach someone... and so would I.

Globalization and English

It's undeniable that English has become the current "international language". And that leads to interesting things. Most of them are commonplace, but this Freakonomics blog post has some interesting points of view.

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"English is a tool, just like a piece of technology. Much of the world’s economy is tied up in English-speaking countries and for that reason, English is like a cell phone provider offering the best plan. But if the dollar continues to drop, the most viable option could shift. Mexico and Korea don’t need English to communicate if Korea begins to find it profitable to learn Spanish.

This flexibility exists because other languages aren’t going away. It’s important to understand that English is growing as a second orthird language. "

"Don’t underestimate the value of knowing languages other than English in a globalized world. Nothing makes a trip to Japan better than knowing Japanese and if you’re bidding on a contract in India, the proposal written in Hindi is sure to stand out. A philosopher who can read German articles before they’re translated has an edge on his peers.

In fact, globalization means that we have more reason than ever to learn a language. While globalization has its benefits and drawbacks, learning a language, like almost any other skill, is at best useful and at least a bit of personal edification (like learning Ancient Greek or fly fishing)."

Some of this I've heard already. I've even blogged about how English won't take over as the only language in the world. And it's a good thing. Plus, one thing that I've learned in Japan is that, rather than English, people are usually better knowing a country's mother language. English is useful as a "general option", but never count entirely on it when going abroad. Knowing some words in the local language may even be a good way to give a good impression, showing that you care about the culture and language.

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"In 1950, the Indian constitution established Hindi as the official language of the central government, and the use of English as a “subsidiary official language,” inherited from the days of British colonial rule, was supposed to end by 1965. However, less than a sixth of the Indian population speaks Hindi natively, and for elite speakers of India’s other 400-odd languages, especially in the south, the imposition of Hindi felt like a kind of conquest, whereas continued use of English was an ethnically neutral option. So today, the authoritative version of acts of parliament is still the English one, Supreme Court proceedings are still in English, and so on. "

That's something very interesting. English is used as a "ethnically neutral language" between groups who speak different languages in the same country. The blog gives other examples, incluing in Iraq. It's worth reading.

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"So far, so unsurprising, you might say; but globalization may well have a kind of revenge effect. There’s a distinct chance, I think, that it will actually undermine the position of the very native speaker who, by virtue of having a mastery of this obviously valuable language, thinks he or she is in a strong position.

Why? Because one of the intriguing consequences of globalization is that English’s center of gravity is moving. Its future is going to be defined not in America or Britain, but by the new economies of places like Bangalore, Chongqing, and Bratislava.

Internationally, English is becoming the language of the urban middle classes, and as the ability to use English becomes a kind of basic skill for such people, the prestige that attaches to being able to speak it with native fluency is going to shrink. People who have a stripped-down, second-language knowledge of it may start to cut native speakers out of the equation. At the same time we’re going to see a proliferation of what are sometimes called ‘glocal’ Englishes — noticeably different forms of the global language that preserve their local roots. One of the ultimate effects may be that native speakers of English will be at a professional disadvantage, because they’re seen as obstructions to the easy flow of business talk and they’re competent in just this one 'basic' language."

That's a point that I've never thought about. I wonder to which extent it may happen... But then I think about things like "Singlish" and conclude that, yes, it may be happening already...

Skirt World

Maybe one of the things foreigners in Japan realise quite fast (especially men) is that Japanese women use skirts very often... At least way more often than Brazilian women where I used to live.

Not only that, but some have VERY short skirts... To the point that in some cases you may wonder why does she bother to wear a skirt at all. Even during winter, that nice temperature of minus some degrees and it's still possible to see girls in skirts... some in short skirts.

In some cases, my eyes are thankful, but, anyway, I gave up on trying to understand fashion here. It's their choice, right? If they want to wear skirts (and in some cases lose leg sensibility), it's not my problem.

Is it really their choice, though?

My first thought would be that in Japan, they'd look more appealing that way. I might have to concede in part, although in Brazil there are solution to that matter, like tight shorts. So a skirt would not be the only option...

Still, in this point it'd still be their own choice.

The situation changed after I've heard a comment from another Brazilian in Japan.

She was here for an exchange program... in a high school. Meaning that she'd have to wear that school uniform most people who like anime might know... which include skirts.

Beside the fact that she was not asian-looking and wearing one of those uniforms made she really stand out in the crowd, other Brazilians were more curious about some details of the high school student life in Japan since most are grad students here.

One was exactly about skirts in winter.

It looks like wearing skirts is mandatory. There's no other uniform option for girls. And many schools, like that girl's, don't even allow girls to wear trousers under the skirt during winter...

That's stupid enough, but then comes the other part: it might be possible that Japanese girls didn't care. The likely answer is no since many students take blankets to put on their legs in school. Especially during class.

Most people (especially girls) were outraged by this. What if a girl catches pneumonia as a result of cycling wearing a skirt during winter? Why there's no option to wear trousers as part of the uniform for girls?

If that's just to look "girlish", there are other ways to do it that don't require wearing skirts in winter. Especially when it's not an option made by the person and it has the possibility of making the person sick.

Is there any reason for skirts being mandatory? I'd like to clarify that question.

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Added on May 10th

Talking to some Japanese friends, I found out that, although there are some places where wearing skirts is mandatory, there are places where it's not mandatory but some girls wear it anyway...

Also, an interesting comment was if those school uniform skirts aren't becoming "traditional"; more a less like the Islamic burqa. I wouldn't put them in the same level (the Japanese traditional kimono would be the real equivalent), but I think that this comment was made in the sense that some Islamic women might not want to wear the burqa, but do it nevertheless...